Neuromuscular Flashcards
What are the 2 ways of increasing the strength of a contraction?
Wave summation and spatial summation
What is wave summation?
Repeated nerve impulses with no time to relax
What does wave summation result in?
Titanic contraction (smooth, forceful contraction)
What is spatial summation?
Altering the size and number of motor units
What is a motor unit?
Motor neurone and its muscle fibres
What’s the all or none law?
either all of the motor units will contract or none of them will
What is PNF and what does it increase?
Advanced stretching technique, increases flexibility and range of motion
What does CRAC stand for in PNF?
Contract, relax, antagonist, relax
What do the muscle spindles do?
Detect how far and how fast a muscle is being stretched
What do muscle spindles produce?
Stretch reflex
How is the stretch reflex brought about?
Muscle spindles send impulse to CNS about how far and fast the muscle is being stretched
The CNS sends impulse back to muscle telling it to contract
Why is it good the muscle contracts during stretch reflex?
To avoid overstretching and reduce injury
What do Golgi tendons detect?
Levels of tension in the muscles
What type of contraction is used in PNF?
Isometrically
What allows the antagonist muscle to relax?
Golgi tendons sensing the increase of tension and send inhibitory signals to the brain
